Seal for floating roofs



Jan. fMQYER SEAL FOR FLOATING ROOTS Filed "001;. (-20, 1945 PatentedJan. 18, 1949 Frederick- D.-Moyer,- Chicago; 111.; assignor. to

.iChicagofBridge ezflr'our'company I -Application October 20,35945;:861121 mwszssis t 10 Claims. (or: 220 26) This invention relates'tox-a seal for -a floating roof tank wherein the space betweenthe-floating v roof and the inner surface=ofl theetankshell is,H-maintained vapor; tight.

The seal which is the subject of this invention t;

maybe applied-to any .largeupiston-like object terial. As the sealingmember wears itmay be easily adjusted because the seal wears. in duringuse. When theseal is mounted on the roof-of a ufloating rooftankzsufiicient sealing action-may :be achieved with one sealing memberonly ifthesmember contacts the sides of the tank shell-and the roof ofthe tank. In the normal construction,

however, there is. provided a primary:= seal i'n addition to thesealingmember thatcontactsthe inner surface of the tank shell; and this,primary seal will extend from the sealing member tofizthe "roof.

'When'this primary seal is-used the. contacting sealing member is.normally: arranged above the top surface of the roofand-the primaryseal will extend substantially verticallyefromllthe contacting. vsealingmember toathel topwedge, of the roof. This construction is preferredasivthe .1 primary seal is then self-draining andlwill not collect rust,mill scale, water, or the. like.

The seal when appliedto a floating rooitank l includes a plurality ofcircumferentially,arranged 'pivotally mounted; upstanding arms aroundthe the outer ends of thearms .towardthe innensurface of the shell toprovide. sealing -"c'ont'act movement of the arms whereby pressure ofithe seal against the shell islimitedl 'Th'e bodyfi of the sealingmember is preferably heldin"'substantially horizontalalignment'againstthe shell ."of the tank through all movements of thearms.

There is' provided an" annular "primary; s'eali of flexible imperviousmaterial extendin'giromthe floating roof to the sealing member.

The invention will be described in detail as related to the typicalembodiment-"shown ixrthe accompanyingdrawings. "'Of the"draWing's'j-Fig.

1 is aplan 'view ofa floating roof' -storagetank between the sealingmember and the shell; Ad justable stop means are provided for limiting'the v 2 1 I M landlEi. 2 is an "enlarged. fragmentary.vertical sectiont'akenlalonglinez-r-t ofFig. 1. The storage tank; shown .intheaccompanying l "drawings comprises; a vertical;vwcylind1:ical..sl:l.ell -10 and alflo'ating -ro'ofl l I.".'T..'Ihere.provided .a sealing member: 12.. contactingrthe shell lll of themankifrhis sealing member is heldzi-n-lplace by a plurality of brackets l3.mounted .lon -the top aof ithe. roof? l.l ...and. Zs'ubstamti'ally vequally spaced aroundthe edge ofithe roof. .-,-.'Ea ch bf the bracketsvI 3 includes a vertlcaltpost l4 "mounted.v on top of. -the. .roof and.located a shortilfdistance b'aicklfromlithe.- edge. Pivotally amounted.on thespost I 4 are top'members l:5-andlbdttom mernbers lS'IL'Ihese.membersmay be iron bars and the .top barsli are parallel.toae'ach other, andithe bottomlbars [Glare alsovpa'rallel toeaoliotherIiOne 'of'the top bars'lfi is parallel to a .t bottoinsbar 'lRand is arranged ina substantially vertical 'plane. l At the. outer"ends of. the parallel @bars 1,5; 16 there is located a. basewmembe'rl'l1 :Lior lholding'uthe .sealing. member" 12. I This base n embefl'l ispivotally connected tolwthe outer 1 ends 'ofthebars so lthatthe postl4', .bars' "l5;-and 6,;and'. base member l1 form verti'c'aLparallelograms whosejshape can be altered as each portion t of""theparallelograms is. pivotally connected" to its adjoining portion.

"Thdibas-e member "'ILs com'prises anso'uter 30' J tI-shaped" member "I8and an' 'innei" U shaped 'member l9of smaller' -size.These' ushapedmembers have the sealing .member clamped between them by means of .oneorqmorejbolts 20 passing? through "all three: membersTI'T-Ihe basescrime U-shaped'me'mbers l8 and"! 9 are arranged "sub'stzajntiallyvertically and parallel to thefsliell II Thefo'uter 'member""l 8ihasprojecting ,lugs 2 l 2 to:'whieh the"'outer ends of the parallel bars l5and are pivotal'lyfattached." 'The s'e'alingmemhen-l2 isheld bythe U'shaped' members? and l 9substa'htia1ly'in"the center; withthe'mairr bodyportion 'of thesealingfi' 'member'on each'isidef of 'theclampe'd' "area:heldsubstantially horizontally, and the emisdfthe sealing "membercontacting 45 the shell at anacutean'gle.

The sealing memberfZ' is held in close contact t'ci' *thevs'idesbftheshell -l 0 by" wrod spring 22 nrging the 'outer-ends of theparallel-bars li and 5 It" down-'towardthe roof oftheta'nk. "This springIn'order to limit the pressure of the shown.

24 extending from the outer end of the bottom rod l6 to the top of theroof. Either of the springs 22 or 24 may be dispensed with orboth may beeliminated by the provision of a weight (not shown) for maintaining thesealing member in contact with the sides of the tank. 3

In the construction shown there is located a primary seal 25 between thesealing member l2 and th'e'itop oflth'eroof l I. This-primary seal-is aflexible; impervious material and is arranged subets therein to collectwater, rust, mill scale, and" the like. The primary seal 25 has itslowereedgef:

fastened to the roof by means of a plurality of hooks 26 and a circularrod "21. 'The'lowerledge of the primary seal is placed un'cler"the rod'21 stantially vertically, so that there will be no pock- E aroundtheedgeof theioof and fextending toward "the shell of'the'tank'an'annular flexible sealing member carried on the outer ends of said arms,

each of said arms comprising a pair of substantially parallel bars ofsubstantially equal length mounted one above the other with their innerends mounted on a substantially vertical post "member attached to theroof andwith the outer and wedges 28 are driven between thewrod2! andthe hook 26 to clamp the seal between. the. rod and the top edge of theroof.

The top edge of the primary seal is clamped between the shell contactingsealing member. l2

and the outer U -shapedmember l8. r sealing member I2 against the shellthere is provided a stop means'on the parallel rods I5andj I 61" Thisstop means-includes a projection 29 phone top bar-l5 and extendingto'ward its corresponding "bottom barl'd, and a second projection30 onthe "bottom bar l6 and extending toward the top bar l5. Theseprojections 29 and 39"have fiatfsides 'substantially parallel to eachother with the-first projection 29 being above the second projection3!]. The secondprojection 30 is slidably mounted on its bar It and ismovableby means'of 'a" 's'crew held in aithird projection 32m ount ed onthe bottom bar it. The screw 3.! has itst'o'p' end engaging the movablesecond projection 30, andhas aknob 33 on'its bottom end'fonturning' 'the"screw. Thus the second projection" 30 maybe moved toward and away'fromthefirst projection "29 to'regulate the movement of the bars [5 and I6,and thus determine the pressure ofjthe sealing member E2 on the innersurface'of thepshell 10. As the ends of the sealing member-[wear byfrictional contact'with the shell ,thesecond'projection Eil'may belowered to take up this wear.

"The primary seal 2% is preferably inade of a fabric base impregnatedwith an impervious, flexible material. This material may beasynends; ofsaid bars connected by a substantially vertical base member pivotallyconnected thereto and carrying the sealing member,'means operating atthe outer ends of said bars normally urging them down toward the roof topress the seal against the inner surface of the shell; andadjust'ablestop meansfor limiting .the movement of said bars wherebypressure of the sealagainst the shellis limited.

2. The tank of claim 1 wherein the sealing member is held by the basemember withthe body portion of the sealing member held substantiallyhorizontally at all times and the end of the sealing member contactingthe inner surface of mfthe she at acute an le.

3; The tank ofcla-im 1 wherein the base member comprises twosubstantially parallel portions arranged vertically "with the sealingmember clamped therebetween at-substantially the cen-- 'ter of thesealing member, thesidesoftheseaI- ing'member being arrangedsubstantially horizontally and the ends contacting the inner'surface ofthe shell at an acute angle. a I

'*4.-A storage tank comprising an outer shell, a floating roof,a'plurality of circumferentiallyarranged pivotally" mounted upstanding Iarms "around the edge of the roof and extending toward the shell ofthetank,-an annularflexible sealing member carried on the outer ends ofsaid} arms 'and comprising a plurality of layers of fabric impregnatedwith a flexible impervious material,

theticrubber, and is preferably neoprene. The

sealing member l2lthat contacts the shellf'also j. comprises a fabricbase impregnatedwitha flex 'fible synthetic rubber such as neoprene,and] is [preferably constructed of vlayers of imprejgnated fabriccemented to eachother. A s'showrifth'e' sealing member l2 isymade ofthreelaye'rs: 'of'material cemented together. These layersina'ybe shortlengths, and are arranged one on top of the other in staggeredrelationship; Thuswhen the individual sections are 6 feetlongone endoffthe middle layer may be positioned 2 feet fromfone end of a sectionin the firstla'yer and one section in the third layer will be Zfeet fromthe end of the middle layer section. and 4 feet fro mjtheend of thesection in the first layer. I I

The bracketsv l 3 holding the sealing member, I 2

and circumferentially spaced around the. edge Y of therooi Hserveto'hold the sealing member l2. tightly against the shell I 0. Onlyone of these brackets has been shown in detail in the drawings, but allbrackets. are constructed like the one Having described myinvention in;considerable {d ta l s re a ed t .02 embodiment e fin s each ofsaid armscomprising a pair of. substantially'parallel bars of substantially equallength mounted one above the other, with the inner ends mounted on asubstantially vertical post member attached to the roof and with theouter ends of said bars connectedby a substantially vertical base memberpivotally connected thereto and carrying the sealing member, said basemember comprising two substantially parallel portions arrangedvertically with the sealing member clamped 'therebetween atsubstantially thecenter of the sealing member with the sides of thesealing member arranged substantially horizon- V/ tally and'the endscontacting the inner surface of 'lthefshellat 'ana'cut-e angle, meansoperating at fthelouter endsbf said barsjnormallyurging' them do wntowardthe roof to press the seal against the inner surface 'ofthe shell,and adjustable Y; 'stop"n ieans, for limiting the movement of said vbarsvwherebypressure of the'se'al against the """shen is limited.

,stop means comprises an adjustable member- 5 The tank of claim lwherein thecadjustable mounted.onone of saidbars normally operatingagainst a fixed member on theother baigfsaid membersbeing,adapted etccontact eachjotlger were: a e res eter ned; si nward meiemaeh the barsto prevent further downward movement.

6. The tank of claim 1 wherein there is provided an annular primary sealof flexible impervious material extending substantially vertically fromthe top edge of the roof to the sealing memher.

7. The tank of claim 4 wherein there is provided an annular primary sealof flexible impervious material extending substantially vertically fromthe top edge of the roof to the sealing memher.

8. The tank of claim 4 wherein the adjustable stop means comprises anadjustable member mounted on one of said bars normally operating againsta fixed member on the other bar, said members being adapted to contacteach other after a predetermined downward movement of the bars toprevent further downward movement, and there is provided an annularprimary seal of flexible impervious material extending substantiallyvertically from the top of the roof to the sealing member.

9. A storage tank comprising an outer shell, a floating roof, aplurality of circumferentially arranged pivotally mounted upstandingarms around the edge of the roof and extending toward the shell of thetank, each of said arms comprising a pair of pivotally mountedsubstantially parallel members of substantially equal length with theirinner ends in substantially vertical alignment and their outer ends insubstantially vertical alignment, an annular flexible sealing memher, abase member pivotally connected to the outer ends of said arms andcarrying the sealing member, means normally urging the arms down towardthe roof whereby the seal is pressed against the inner surface of theshell, and adjustable stop means on each parallel member for limitingthe movement of said arms whereby pressure of the seal against the shellis limited, the body of the sealing member being held in substantiallyhorizontal alignment through all movements of the arms.

10. A storage tank comprising an outer shell, a floating roof, aplurality of circumferentially arranged pivotally mounted upstandingarms around theedge of the roof and extending toward the shell of thetank, each of said arms comprising a pairxof substantially parallel barsof substantiallyequal length mounted one above the other with theirinner ends mounted on a substantially vertical post member attached tothe roof, an annular flexible sealing member, a substantially verticalbase member pivotally attached to the outer ends of said bars andcarrying the sealing member, means normally urging the arms down towardthe roof whereby the seal is pressed against the inner surface of theshell and adjustable stop means on each arm for limiting the movement ofsaid arms whereby pressure of thexseal against the shell is limited, thebody of the sealing member'being held in substantially horizontalalignment through all movements of the arms.

FREDERICK D. MOYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,169 Hammeren Sept. 1, 19421,426,998 Leland et 8.1. Aug. 22, 1922 1,660,021 .Wiggins June 19, 19281,673,984 Kuhl June 19, 1928 2,072,798 Cranz Mar. 2, 1937 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 487,774 Great Britain June 24, 1938

